HCYPBTKIRWO Chapter 11

…I look forward to your courageous performance again this time.

It was the emperor's decree.

Elliott mercilessly crumpled up the fine parchment with the Emperor's signature and threw it. Daniel's forehead, as he picked up the paper and unfolded it, also wrinkled.

“It’s been less than a month since I came back from the expedition.”

But this time, he had to go to subdue the monsters in the eastern border area. The given expedition deadline was only one week.

“Even if you do your job too well, it’s okay.”

“Maybe it was because I came back alive every time.”

In front of Daniel who smiled bitterly, Elliott covered his forehead with one hand.

'This year alone, how many dispatch orders were there?'

Simply saying no was not the way to go. It was certain that retaliation would follow in one way or another.

He tried some tricks and thought about losing the battle. After repeated defeats, the emperor will no longer seek him.

However, if a war or monster subjugation left Elliott defeated, the damage will be seen by the people of the empire. It was not something he could devise for his own personal gain.

However, if the archduke's residence was empty because of that, his younger siblings would be at risk. This was a private matter that could never be given up in the face of any public interest.

'What should I write this time?'

Contemplating and burying himself deep in the chair, Daniel held out another two rolls of parchment.

"And the reports from the alchemist and the chemist."

This was what Elliott had been waiting for. His eyes slowly softened as he read it without hesitation.

“Did they not find anything?”

“It was just an ordinary delicious cake.”

The famous wizard who first inspected the cake came to that conclusion. It was fortunate that there were no spells, poisons, or potions in the cake.

As soon as he brought his younger siblings back, he called in a wizard and a doctor to check them. The result was just like the cake.

The wizard said that the children did not have any black magic or magical energy at all. The doctor even admired their nutritional status and disappeared.

However, the more the test results were received, the more questions were piled up.

"Hmm, is it just the cake? It can't be. The witch must have used a unique magic that no one knew."

"They said they didn't feel anything"."

"That was the case… I didn't feel it either."

Back when he was in the witch's cabin, it was impossible to make a rational judgment because all he was worried about was his younger siblings.

But now that he thought about it, the witch didn’t act suspiciously, so it was quite suspicious.

"The wicked witch took care of the children with all her heart… There's no way she's not up to anything.”

"Right."

"But she didn't want money, she didn't try to kill us, and she didn't try to eat them."

"But there were many rumors that she grilled people."

"That's a rumor. In fact, no one really has been eaten. But there are many people who have been scolded by the witch even if they haven't been eaten by her."

Daniel began to recite the witch's evil deeds.

She changed the villagers to frogs because she didn't like the way they looked at her.

At the festival held in autumn, she turns crushed grape grains into mice.

Moreover, there was no evidence of this, but there was a case where another witch who had a bad relationship with the witch of the Black Forest suffered from an illness of unknown cause and died.

Even a few years ago, she changed her appearance to a completely different person. Since this was used for intelligence, it was even a magic allowed only to the imperial wizard.

But the witch didn't mean to deceive him. Seeing her wandering around with a new face, she did not show any insidious intentions, so he did not take issue with it.

"But those evil things have stopped for years."

That is, from the time when her appearance changed.

"Suspicious."

It felt like she wasn't the witch he heard well about.

"She may be pretending to be nice to mislead people with her familiar appearance."

“Appearance is enough to deceive people, so why do they need to be nice?”

Daniel, who noticed at once that he was talking about someone in the imperial palace, smiled bitterly and nodded.

"You don't have to be nice."

Elliott's mouth, which was going up at an angle, suddenly dropped. It was not the time to laugh while sharing these words.

The deadline left until the start of the year was only a week.

There was no way he could not go. Before leaving, he had to come up with a way to prevent his younger siblings from running away for a second time.

Already notorious within the empire, there were no candidates for a new nanny. So it was close to impossible to find a nanny to capture the hearts of children within a week.

The servants were loyal, but he couldn't trust them for his younger siblings' surveillance.

Last time, even though he ordered the guards to always watch, the two of them found a gap and managed to escape.

“We meant to bring Hazel, not the nanny!”

Luna's cry echoed in Elliott's head as he tapped the desk.

‘Should I trust my senses?’

His senses were never wrong.

Besides, Elliott was quick to make decisions. He lifted his head, ending his conflict at once.

"Sir Daniel."

"Yes."

“Weren’t you once a paladin?”

Elliott raised the corners of his lips and smiled. Daniel felt that smile was ominous. In fact, it was ominous from the moment he suddenly spoke with the public title of 'Sir'.

And, sadly, Daniel's feelings for his superior were never wrong.

***

If I do this, autumn will go by.

I was busy getting ready to go out and picked up an empty basket. If I don't pick and dry the mushrooms before they fade, I won't be able to taste them until next fall.

"I will be back."

I waved my hand to the Lady and Daisy.

Lady, who was lying on the floor in the sun, muttered with a smirk the moment I grabbed the doorknob.

[Tell him to get down on his knees and beg.]

"Who?"

[You will find out soon.]

With my head tilted and the door wide open, I froze. And the man who made eye contact with me also became white.

'Archduke?'

A man with silver hair and purple eyes. Archduke Blaine was standing in front of my hut.

Blinking in disbelief, I looked behind the stiff man's back.

'Where is everyone?'

There were no wagons, not even escorts. A white horse playing outside the fence was all he had brought with him.

'Then why are you here?'

I turned my gaze back to the Archduke and saw it. It had rained in the morning and there were countless footprints in the wet front yard. Only one person's footprints.

After thinking about it for a long time, looking at the way he looked, I seemed to understand why he had come.

Looking at him with questionable eyes, the Archduke lowered his hand, which he was holding up to knock on the door, and he asked.

“Miss Hazel, could you spare me a moment?”

He called me an evil witch and kidnapper rudely before. Now, he even gave the title of 'miss' in a polite tone.

In that moment, doubt turned to certainty.

'He came to ask me something.'

It was clear that the people who pointed their finger at me as an evil witch changed their attitude and asked for favors.

Please curse someone. Please kill someone. Steal that person's heart.

I have been asked countless times to use forbidden magic for selfish reasons.

‘Is that the case with the Archduke?’

“I’m busy.”

I smirked at him. I went out into the yard and moved my fingers, and the door slammed shut.

The man just stood there and looked at me with slightly annoyed eyes.

[He smelled like kids!]

Daisy panted and shook her tail wildly.

[Don't wag your tail. That guy is a bad guy.]

I blindfolded Daisy's eyes, pulling her head away and stepped out of the fence.

Judging by the Archduke's calm attitude, it was clear that nothing urgent had happened to the kids. So there was no need to mix things up.

'What…’

As I walked into the shaded forest, at the same time, the sound of footsteps following me stopped.

I turned back then. The Archduke was standing with his arms crossed on a path about three steps away from me.

Perhaps it was a habit, when our eyes met, he slightly curved the corners of his eyes and smiled, but his eyes were not smiling at all.

"Why are you following me?"

“For a quick conversation. I'm a busy person."

“Why don’t you go back if you are busy?”

It was a really cold response that wasn't like me, but I couldn't help but remember that man abused the children.

I grumbled inwardly and took a step back. The sound of footsteps continued from behind.

“Where are you going?”

“Forest.”

"Isn't this already the forest?"

“…”

"Okay. Let me change the question. What are you going to do?"

"I'm on my way to offer up your excellency to the secret altar deep in the forest."

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